Ojos del Salado. The summit or how it happens when you forget the word “impossible”. January 8th, 2014
Until the new year finally arrives, I’m finishing everything I started last year. Therefore, with heroic efforts, I am finishing the story about climbing the highest volcano in the world - Ojos del Salado.
Acclimatization went neither shaky nor slow. That is, no way. After spending one night in the Atacama camp at 5200 and walking to the Tejos assault camp at 5850, Mario and I went to spend the night at 4600 in the Murray hut so that I could recover a little.
The night in the hut was not in vain. In the morning I was cheerful and cheerful and again ready for exploits.
Therefore, early in the morning, right after breakfast, I began to terrorize Mario on the topic “it’s time for us to go up and prepare for the ascent.”
It was the fourth day since we left the city. There were a maximum of two or three days left, after which I had to come to the hospital to check what had happened to my arm.
So I beat my hoof impatiently.
At that moment, Mario had already finally realized that it was better not to argue with crazy people. And we again went to the Atacama camp.
The weather was not good. However, everything was according to the forecast. And according to the forecast for that day, very strong winds were expected. Typically, strong winds were expected every other day. But between these two days a calm was expected.
Less than an hour passed before we arrived at Atacama. This time, besides us, there was a large group of Germans in the camp.
These people are very positive. They travel around Chile, climb volcanoes, and Ojos - well, it will work out well, it won’t work out - well... Such a pleasant mood. When people travel and have fun, and do not crave some kind of exploits.
We sat and chatted all day. Two of them asked me in detail about Ushba and the Bezengi wall, finding out if there were any simple routes there. I had to disappoint them.
Everyone oohed and aahed once again after listening to my story about the accident and the hand. And when they found out that the accident happened just six days ago, they gasped even more.
And only one, after asking me in detail about the details of the injury and the operation, said that it was crazy to go to the top. It turned out that he was a surgeon. But realizing that I was stubborn in my madness, he gave me a couple of useful tips on what to do during the climb so that global problems would not happen to my arm.
Meanwhile, the weather completely deteriorated. Not only was there a strong wind blowing, but there were also clouds.
While I was photographing the surroundings, one of the Germans came up to me, took his phone and photographed me
According to the plan, we were supposed to move to Tejos in the late afternoon so that we could start the climb early in the morning.
However, time passed, and Mario was clearly not going anywhere.
The Germans listened to the weather forecast from me and somehow also began to actively discuss plans, because they were going to go to the top in a day.
In fact, I wasn't very sure about the prognosis. He was kind of strange. But it brought turmoil into the ranks of the Germans and their numerous guides.
In retaliation, they joked that if we were going to climb, then it would be best for us to take kites with us so that we could fly straight to the top.
In general, I began to suspect some kind of trick and called Mario for negotiations.
The negotiations were short-lived. Mario was as calm as a rock. What? To the top? Of course we will go to the top tomorrow. To Tejos today? What for? This will still not help with acclimatization. We'll get into the car at night and drive to Tejos.
Such a wonderful option had never occurred to me. He was undoubtedly good.
Meanwhile, the clouds stretched and the wind began to subside.
We agreed that we would wake up at two in the morning, and if the wind was not very strong, we would have breakfast and move towards the summit.
I climbed into the tent and began to pack my things. This time I prepared more carefully than ever. Several times I laid things out and put them back again.
It was necessary to provide for all possible options.
Finally, deciding that in the morning I would go through my things again, I tried to sleep.
At two o'clock in the morning it turned out that not only Mario and I woke up, but also all the Germans and their guides.
It turns out my weather forecast still mixed up their plans. In addition, they were inspired by the prospect of getting to Tejos by car.
Half of the Germans went in our car. Half - on the second car. Well, let's go - it's said loudly. We drove literally 200 meters and the car skidded.
Mario drove the Germans out immediately and they went on foot. He and I rode back and forth five more times. We drove to the shelter, after which he pumped up the tires. Then I tried to accelerate through a difficult place... In the end, I had to walk.
But hurray, it didn’t take long to walk. Soon Mario passed a difficult place and caught up with us.
Later it turned out that the second car could not get through, and our Germans went down.
While all these maneuvers were taking place, it was already five o’clock in the morning. And we went up.
The trail to Ojos is such a loose stretch. Walking along it with one stick is of course still a pleasure. I generally don’t walk in the mountains without poles. And then I had to hobble along the path using only one stick.
We walked for a long, long time. I expected that a little more and we would go out to the crater. I asked Mario what the height was.
A little more and it will be 6000 meters...
His answer greatly upset me. And I realized that there would be no miracle and this whole story would last for a long time.
Mario walked ahead at some distance with his hands in his pockets. From time to time he waited for me to capture my movements. But overall, he was clearly bored... But as they say, he took up the tug... Now drag this tug to the top.
I slowly crawled along a zigzag-shaped, rather dreary path.
So I walked, moving the fingers on my sore hand. Seems like he's in control of the situation. But what kind of control is there?
Fifth day in the mountains and now almost 7000 meters... Without acclimatization, after surgery...
In general, on the way to the crater I was covered. More and more often I stopped. I looked up hopelessly... And I thought what would happen if I turned back now
When it turned out that we had finally reached the crater, my state could hardly be called sane...
No, the only thing left for me is clarity of thought. And with these clear thoughts, I understood that in an amicable way I urgently needed to go downstairs. My legs could hardly walk anymore. It was almost impossible to breathe.
I tried to explain to Mario that I felt bad... Because it was no longer on the brink... It had long been beyond the bounds of reason, beyond the bounds of possibility...
But it’s difficult to explain anything when you’re choking on coughing and confused in your thoughts. In addition, our English vocabulary was very limited and did not always match.
In general, he either didn’t understand that I wanted to go down, or he pretended... But we went forward.
In addition, the thought was spinning in my head: I’ve already gone through so much, endured so much, and it would be a shame if all this was in vain.
There were about 150 meters in height left to the top. One and a half to two hours... And as a “pleasant” surprise - access to the top via a rocky tower.
15 meters of easy climbing. And another 20 meters along the ridge...
Then everyone asked me: how did you climb with only one hand?
How did I climb? There is a state when nothing can stop it.
Now I don’t know how I climbed seven thousand meters with one hand, out of breath and practically falling out of reality... But back then it didn’t seem like something super difficult. Here it is - the top.
Mario and I approached the rocks. Again, as we approached... There the trail ends and you have to climb over some stones, loose debris... Yeah, with one hand.
Well, we approached the rocks. Mario says: climb, there are good holds under your left arm. And so I climbed. I'm generally not good at climbing rocks. But I climbed without doubting for a second that this was the way it should be.
Somewhere towards the end of the path, the convenient steps for the left hand ended. Mario climbed a little lower than me, assuring me that if anything happened he would catch me. And then the moment came when I stretched myself in a certain crooked position and realized that I really needed my right hand...
I had to urgently explain to Mario that right now I thought I was going to fall.
He quickly crawled up to me and helped me climb up.
And here are a few more meters along the ridge...
I tried to realize that I had finally reached the top. No matter how bad it is, despite everything...
It was somehow difficult to comprehend all this. So I lay on the top listlessly photographing the surroundings
The tireless Mario dragged my almost lifeless carcass to show that Ojos is an active volcano. If you move a little to the side from the top you can really see the smoking fumaroles
However, it was necessary to go down
It was the most terrible descent. I walked and thought only about getting there. Get there with your own feet. Otherwise, it will be somehow inconvenient if you have to drag the hero down...
And I walked. Sometimes it seemed to me that it was slower than going up.
And then this crazy endless descent ended.
And there was a car in Texas. Literally 20 minutes, and here we are on the Atacama... I sat in the car for another hour and was dumb.
Mario brought me compote.
I ate pineapples and berries, looked at the top of Ojos... I understood that I would still have to pay for this forced march to the top...
But then it didn't matter.
Then there was just a feeling of happiness. And I hardly can describe it.
This city became famous last year when the world's attention was focused on one of the mines near the city, where miners were rescued at a depth of several hundred meters after being underground for many days.
After a night in one of the cozy hotels in the city, my path lay through the desert, to the Atacama camp at an altitude of 5200 meters. After about forty minutes of driving, the road turned into a “direction” and it became clear that you can only move here in vehicles with all-wheel drive and it is advisable to have a pair of spare wheels and cans of fuel. For almost 300 kilometers there are no gas stations and virtually no life, with the exception of a few places where llamas live, and a border control point near the border with Argentina.
Three and a half hours later I saw a sign for the turn towards the volcano; after that, the road finally ended and only a rut remained, made by rare vehicles delivering climbers to the Atacama camp. A couple of hours later my car barely made it to the camp. The height was already clearly felt here; Before this, I had the opportunity to walk the slopes of Mount Rainier in the USA several times, but this was clearly not enough. Another three hours of walking to the Tejos camp at an altitude of 5900 meters. The climb to the top the next morning was not very pleasant due to lack of acclimatization, but luck helped me and the low temperature, about -8 C, and the wind, no more than 20 km per hour, helped. The top of this volcano often becomes inaccessible due to stormy winds that sharply lower the temperature. According to the weather forecast, two weeks ago at the summit the winds were about 100 km per hour at temperatures down to -15C; there was no need to think about climbing to the top in such weather. And in good weather and with good acclimatization, climbing to the top is a pleasure, and a fantastic view of the surrounding volcanoes will be a good reward.
The descent to the car and the road to Laguna Verde was easier. At the entrance to the lagoon there was a wrecked car; perhaps it was “left over” from the recent Dakar race, one of the stages of which took place in this area two weeks ago.
Having pitched my tent on the shores of Laguna Verde with a fantastic view of the surrounding volcanoes and flamingos that roamed on the other side of the lagoon, I plunged into the hot springs with great pleasure.
The way back was easier, except for the punctured wheel of my car, and the spare wheel that was installed with great difficulty, which flew off literally five hundred meters after the start of the journey back, along with the bolts... Vladimir Doronin Santiago, Chile
Ojos del Salado -
highest active
volcano in the world
Of course, when we say “the highest,” we do not mean the height and majesty of the cone (the relative elevation of the volcano above its surroundings). Just as in the case of the highest mountain in the world, we are talking about the absolute altitude mark.
View of the border(la frontera - border) Chilean-Argentine volcano
Ojos del Salado from the Atacama Desert
For a long time, the Argentinean Llullaillaco (according to various sources - from 6723 to 6739 m), located in the Andes at 25° south latitude, appeared in reference books as a volcano - the world record holder for rising to the skies. and 69° W, close to the Chilean border. This volcano has erupted more than once in human memory - in 1854, 1868 and 1877. Therefore, no one doubted that this was an active volcano. And of the undoubtedly active ones, he is the tallest.
There are, of course, many mountains of volcanic origin that are much higher, but these are volcanoes considered as dormant or extinct. The Chilean volcano Ojos del Salado (6891 m), also located in the Andes, near the Chilean-Argentine border, was also considered this way. The last eruption of this volcano, as is commonly believed, was about 1300 years ago and is not recorded in human memory.
Meanwhile, in 1993, Ojos del Salado produced a small ash release. Fumaroles were discovered in the crater - outlets of jets of volcanic gases and steam. This made it possible to review the “status” of the volcano and “reclassify” it as active. It is currently considered to be the tallest active volcano in the world. Perhaps to the joy of many schoolchildren and even other teachers, for whom saying “Llullaillaco” is a real punishment.
Ojos del Salado holds several other records. This is the highest point in Chile. This is the second (according to the measurement of 6891 m), after Aconcagua (located 600 kilometers to the south), the top of America and the entire Western Hemisphere. There is another strong record - here lies (or is it?) the highest lake on Earth. Generally speaking, there is little moisture here: the mountain stands on the edge of the Atacama Desert. Therefore, even a permanent snow cap does not form on the top (only in winter). But in the crater, at an altitude of 6390 m, there is a permanent lake with a diameter of about 100 m. The highest water lying on the earth's surface.
The Ojos del Salado volcanic cone itself, of course, does not have a height of 6-7 kilometers. But still not small. It rises above the base by about 2000 m. The coordinates of the highest active volcano in the world are 27° S, 69° W. Translated from Spanish, Ojos del Salado means “salty springs.”
The first ascent of the record-breaking volcano was made in 1937 (Poles). In 2007, Chileans climbed the volcano in a special car to a height of 6688 m (included in the Guinness Book of Records).
There are no completely accurate measurements. According to various sources, the height of Ojos del Salado is determined in the range from 6880 to 7057 m (the latest estimate made by the Argentines and even included on some geographical maps is considered unreliable).
The mountain belongs to Chile only half. The border runs almost along the highest point. But only almost. There are two peaks, one of which is called the “Chilean Peak”, and the second is the “Argentine Peak”. Chilean is a little higher. Therefore, the volcano is “recorded” as the record holder for Chile.
Solidified lava is clearly visible on the slopes. Her exact age is unclear. Some sources even claim that some kind of eruption took place in 1929, but no one noticed it in this deserted area.
There is little information about Ojos on the Russian-language Internet. I will try to fill this deficiency.
1. Ojos del Salado, view from an altitude of 5100m.
General information. Description at summitpost.org
Ojos del Salado, 6893 m - an extinct volcano in the Atacama Desert on the border of Chile and Argentina (you can climb it from both sides).
We were climbing from the Chilean side.
Preparation.
Permit.
Permit is needed. You need to get it online in advance, on the website of the organization difrol (AUTORIZACIONES - expediciones de andinismo), which deals with border issues. There is no point in writing letters, they don’t answer. You need to register on the website and fill out an application, after which you will receive a response within 24 hours. In the surname column of the participants, it is better to immediately write nationality and passport number separated by commas.
Afterwards, difrol sends a beautiful PDF file by email. It needs to be read and understood (the letter is in Spanish), perhaps this is not a permit yet - is everything enough, or is some additional information needed. Difrol is a government organization, so they may take a long time or not respond at all. If they don’t answer within a day or two, you need to call them and ask “where is my permit,” then they press the “send letter” button. The permit is done quickly, but it is better to do it in advance, for example, a month in advance.
Our situation. After filling out the form on the website, you received a letter asking you to write your passport numbers and nationality. Wrote. After a long silence, we call them (I was already in Santiago):
Good afternoon, we are waiting for your permit by email, but it still hasn’t arrived.
-So I sent you a letter!
-No letters arrived, please send again.
-Yes? Okay, I'll send it again.
A few minutes later the permit was in my mail.
But that is not all.
In the permit itself it is written in Spanish on white - recommend (no obligation) also in the city of Copiapo, go to the office (intendencia) and report your expedition. What can you do, bureaucracy?
We arrive in Copiapo, I go to this office. There the girl looks at me with square eyes, calls somewhere, clarifies something, and says - you need another certificate for a certificate, but now we can’t give it to you, we don’t have a stamp, come back in two hours, what are we We'll figure something out. Apparently, no one goes to this office and does not deal with this matter. Fortunately, I arrived two hours later, and right from the doorstep they gave me another piece of paper that now we have a completely official expedition. I make two copies of both permits, and with a clear conscience I put them in my backpack so as not to show them to anyone or anywhere else and then burn them in the fire.
The only place where this permit can be asked is the Chilean customs, on the highway towards the San Francisco Pass. Also, in theory, customs officers who periodically come there can ask for it at Verde Lagoon. So it’s better to still have a permit.
Permit is free! Until 2016, it was necessary to pay $160-200 per person to a separate organization to maintain the cleanliness of the route (or for some other purposes, this was also stated in the permit), but now, for some reason unknown to me, this fee has been canceled, and no one is demanding it anywhere.
Car rent.
The format for climbing Ojos requires a car or a 4x4 SUV (the entire route is 600 km Copiapo - Copiapo). The machine is very convenient - relatively unlimited weight of food and things, almost no need to carry backpacks anywhere. This is because the entire pedestrian part runs along radials. The only place where you need to carry a backpack is from the Atacama refuge to the Tejos refuge (from 5200m to 5800m). However, if you have nerves of iron, a lot of experience driving along slanting sandy serpentines with a road slope of up to 30°, and at the moment there is no snow on the “road”, then you can get to Tejos and even to an altitude of 5900m.
Where to rent? There are several dozen offices in Copiapo. Herts, Alamy, Localiza, Econorent and others - from large global companies. There are also several smaller local companies.
An interesting point - for rent, all these large companies require only a credit card, not a debit card. Several offices refused me when I said that I had a debit card. However, as it turned out, these concepts are very different in our country and in Chile. So, my Alfa Bank debit card is considered a credit card in Chile, and local debit cards do not have a cvv code and cannot be used to buy anything online.
Initially, I rented a car in a localization, first I checked about the card, my rights, and the ability to pay in cash. I received a positive response to everything. Okay, I booked a 2015 Toyota Hilux, turbodiesel, 2.4 liters (and added “or similar”). I was told that I couldn’t pick it up at the airport, come to the office. Ok, I arrive at the office - “Oh, the car is at the airport, but just wait, now we’ll drive it away.” And excuse me, there is no Toyota, only a Nissan NP300, 16th year. And we won’t give you any tools, go and buy them.”
Okay, I say, wait a minute, somehow I don’t really like this.
We went to the next office, O'Carroll. The owner of the office is Christian, a normal guy, honest and businesslike. There is a Toyota, it costs less, and in addition there is a bunch of goodies: three (!) spare wheels, a jack, a shovel, a tent for the trunk, a rope, tools for changing wheels, two cans and a full tank of fuel. In addition, the tank can be returned empty. I’ll say in advance that one 20-liter canister would be enough. We also wanted to take chains for the wheels, but there were no chains for the diameter of our wheels. The car return time is free - “call me when you are in Copiapo on Saturday.”
We filled out the contract, clarified about the insurance, what and how it works.
The guarantee is a bank card; in the event of the worst accident, when the car can no longer be repaired, 700,000 pesos (approximately $1,100) are withdrawn from the card. The rest, as I understand it, is covered by the insurance company. If you are not the culprit of the accident, then all the data of the at-fault driver is taken, and after that the office itself decides everything, no money is withdrawn from the card. In other cases, it is decided either personally, without the participation of the insurance company (I hit the car, went to the workshop, found out how much the repair cost, gave it in cash), or they charge it from the card according to the insurance company’s price list (usually several times more).
2. First look at Ojos.
Nuances about the car.
It is necessary to take a 4x4 car, the road is not very good in some places. In the Atacama camp we saw only the following cars - Toyota Hilux of different years of manufacture, Nissan NP300, Volks Amarok and Mitsubishi L200 (although Christian for some reason scolded this car).
A diesel car is, they say, good for altitude (almost all pickup trucks there are diesel).
Antigel for fuel (for low temperatures) was not used, there were no problems.
The tires did not go flat at altitude, anywhere. Perhaps the scrutinized Christian’s wheels are already a little lower on purpose, I don’t know. But he said there was no need to go down. One of my acquaintances, a big off-road enthusiast, shared the same opinion.
Engine capacity - 2.4 liters. Often on climbs, being loaded, there was not enough power; sometimes even starting in first gear on a slight upward slope was difficult; I had to pick up the speed with the clutch. In justification, it was fine in lower gears with power. It’s better, of course, to take a three-liter one, but you can rarely find one like that.
On the highway I drove calmly at 140-160 km/h.
This car did not have a differential lock, which could have come in handy.
The car is comfortable, during the trip the cardan shafts did not fall off, the wheels did not change, and not a single problem arose at all.
Fuel consumption was taken with a reserve, 15 liters per hundred. The actual consumption was lower. On the highway, at a normal speed of 120-130 km/h, I consumed 11.5 liters per hundred. There is only 15 km of real off-road terrain, and the use of low gear is even less - 4-5 km.
I also asked Christian about buying water bottles, and after his short call, a car with water arrived within 10 minutes - they took 7 bottles of 20 liters each (5 were then returned full). It costs 2000 pesos per bottle if you return the container. If the container is not returned, then another 8,000 pesos for each bottle.
Having purchased groceries at the large Lider supermarket, and with some difficulty loading the trunk with our backpacks mixed with wheels, canisters, bottles and food, at 17:45 we finally left for Rossa Lagoon.
So it began.
3. Our team is in its original composition.
4. Laguna Rossa
There are two ways to get to Rossa Lagoon - along the main highway to Argentina (San Francisco Pass), or directly along a dirt road. We went with the second option, since we planned to return first, so we could see more.
Recently the road was washed away by a mudflow (in the desert, yes), but by the time we arrived it had been partially repaired. The road requires some driving care as it is sometimes not entirely smooth. At sunset, we drove up to the 4000 m pass, from which we can see our lagoon and the peaks of Tres Cruces in the distance, and after admiring the beauty that opened up, we drove down to the lake.
5. Laguna Rossa
At the entrance to the shelter there is a Conaf post - foresters, in our opinion. You just need to register and move on, you don’t have to pay.
Then it’s interesting - there are shelters ahead. We arrived at the first one, there was no one inside, and there were empty beds. A little surprised at how beautifully everything was done - bed linen, hot water, light, shower - we were surprised, is all this really free? However, in the morning a bear came, found a whole bunch of Mash on their beds, and charged us $100 per person. It turned out that the shelter (not the hotel) is the next building. There the price is $25 (15,000 pesos) per person, or $15 per person in a tent. There is one room for 10 people (5 bunk beds), another 5-7 people can fit on the floor. There is also a kitchen nearby, which has water, gas, a toilet, all of which can be used.
The morning turned out to be wonderful - the transparent surface of the lake, the reflection of the mountains and flamingos near the shore. Harsh, deserted, but picturesque landscapes.
6. Laguna Rossa and local flamingos
The height of the Ross Lagoon is 3800m, which is high enough for a person from sea level on the first day. The previous evening everyone felt shortness of breath, palpitations, some had a headache and poor sleep. Today we are walking in the vicinity of the shelter, we are not climbing high. We decided to go to the small observation hill Pastillito, 4000m.
7. Acclimatization walk
An easy walk, photos, contemplation and descent down.
8. Pastillita Top
But don’t sit in the camp all day - let’s go for a walk around the lake. The landscapes are picturesque - although it is a desert, it is not pale, but lush and contrasting - salt marsh, green bushes, dark blue sky and, of course, mountains on the horizon.
9. Salt marsh on Rossa Lagoon
10. Laguna Rossa
11
.
Lunch, dinner, sleep.
Today many feel better. Moreover, the height here is felt more easily than, say, in the Caucasus. We go out to the mountain of 7 brothers (7 hermanos). The slope is smooth, gentle and long. In the morning, as is often the case here, it is quiet, but by lunchtime it swells. 3 - 3.5 hours and we are at the top.
12. Dawn at Rossa Lagoon
13. The path to the top of 7 brothers
14. Top 7 Brothers
Then 2-2.5 hours of descent, packing and moving to Verde Lagoon.
The road is a dirt road, ridged, but without large holes. This is the first 30 km. Next - a departure to a new ideal highway towards the San Francisco Pass, 70 kilometers. Then about another 20 km of dirt road, along which, however, you can easily drive for a hundred.
15. Road to Lagoon Verde.
16. Laguna Verde
There is a small shelter on the lake, for 8-10 people, with warm springs inside. The shelter is free. We set up tents and cooked in the shelter (the shelter was occupied, although you can lie on the floor in the “kitchen”). We walked around the area, swam in lukewarm springs, and got really cold while we were getting dressed.
17. Laguna Verde and warm springs
There is information, mostly from old English-language reports, that at the border post on the lagoon, just down the road, you need to register and leave your passports (this supposedly guarantees that you are not planning to cross the border into Argentina illegally). However, after some questioning, we decided not to go to them, because firstly, no one cares there, and secondly, it is illegal to give passports to anyone at all.
18. Laguna Verde.
February 4.
We decided to go to the Atacama shelter. It had snowed the previous night and the road was heavily covered. We got stuck several times (we were the first today). But every time we got out of it. We reached an altitude of 5100 m, where the road first goes down and then up again. We decided not to go further, so as not to fall into the trap of neither going back nor forward, especially since we have nothing special to do in Atacama.
19.
20.
21. Fresh snow in the desert.
We returned to Laguna Verde. One participant finally decided to return to Copiapó because he felt unwell all the time and his condition was not improving. They took him to Copiapo and returned in the evening. According to the forecast, the weather is ideal on February 5, the 6th and 7th are even less so (30-50 km/h wind at the top), but from the 8th to the 11th the wind at the top is up to 100 km/h. Therefore, after consulting, we decided to try to ascend on the 7th (according to the plan, we should have ascended on the 8th or 9th).
22. On the way from CopiapoOn the SunsetWe met this peacefully grazing herd of Guanaques.
February 5th.
Today we move to the Atacama shelter, 5200m. The snow on the road had melted significantly, making driving much easier. 4 km before Atacama the road branches into “closed when snow” (left) and “very rocky” (right). Since the snow had not yet completely melted that day, we took the second option (right fork). The road is really very rocky and the car rocks solidly, you drive as if on Mars. However, in the first lower gear it drives calmly. There are a few sandy sections, but they are not difficult to drive through.
23. Atacama Shelter, 5200 m.
And here we are at 5200m. On the same day, after setting up the tents, we take an acclimatization walk to the Tehos shelter, 5830m. Walk for 2.5-3 hours along a clearly visible path that periodically crosses the road leading to the shelter. In some places the road is difficult for a car to pass, at least in the conditions we had.
24. Trail to the Tehos shelter
25.
Trail to the Tejos shelter
The Tehos shelter is made of two L-shaped connected transport containers, inside there is an entrance hall, two rooms, a kitchen, quite cozy. In one room there are two bunk beds and two single-tier beds (6 places), in addition, they can fit on the floor of the shelter more 6-10 people, depending on the “occupancy density”.
26. Tehos Shelter, 5830 m
We go down to Atacama and spend the night.
February 6.
The weather is good, calm. Having previously made sure that only we and three Americans will spend the night in the shelter, we leave the tents and go upstairs. We reach the shelter without incident and settle down. There is a lot of food and gas left at the shelter - you can live here peacefully for another week, eating local leftovers.
Water, by the way, flows near the shelter, melting from calgospores and snow (in our snowy times; depending on the season, water, as I understand it, does not always flow there). We collect several 5-liter eggplants during the day. The weather is sunny, slight wind, we have dinner and go to bed.
27. Calgospores or penitentes in Spanish
February 7.
Rise at 3:30 am, breakfast and departure at 4:15. The weather is excellent, there is no wind yet, the temperature is 8-10 degrees below zero, not cold. Despite the height, it goes well. The trail up to 6 thousand is rocky and loose, not always clearly marked, and it’s easy to lose it at night if you don’t keep an eye on it. There are signs at several forks. at 6000 m we put on crampons - the recently fallen snow has already turned into firn. In some places the snow has already melted, but it is dense on the trail. From the photo it seems that we put on the crampons specifically for “walking on snowy paths.”
After some time, dawn broke and the sun began to illuminate the neighboring mountains. Very beautiful. Later, the sun also colors our slope - you can see all the way to the crater - a slope of 25-30 degrees, which the trail traverses.
28. dawn on the ascent. Height 6100 m
At an altitude of 6300 m, Nadya decides to turn around. Insufficient acclimatization still takes its toll. Let's continue together. Meanwhile, the wind begins to slowly blow. At an altitude of 6550-6650 m the trail begins to turn to the right, towards the crater. And here I wanted to have an ice ax - the slope is 30-35 degrees, hard firn, it’s easy to walk, but if you stumble, you can fly far. At an altitude of 6650 m we also turn around, because... Igor is also being overtaken by the miner, despite his fairly strong body and training.
29. Height 6650 m. From here we went down
We go down to Tejos and spend the night there. The Americans with whom we climbed that day had already descended from the mountain - two had ascended, one had turned around.
February 8.
No one has the desire to repeat the climb, for several reasons - firstly, fatigue, and secondly, a very bad forecast for the next three days, there is simply no point in sitting and waiting. We go down to Atacama, collect our things and go down together with the Americans. Having reached the highway, we say goodbye to them - they go straight to Copiapo, and we go to Laguna Verde to get our things. We then accidentally meet with them at the same hotel in Copiapo - they checked into the same place.
We pack our things and drive to Copiapo in three and a half hours. On the way there is the Chilean border, it is necessary for those coming from Argentina. But we are “locals”! All the cars (mostly Argentinean) stand in line on the main road, through the hangar. But we confidently go around the entire queue on the right. The road is blocked by a chain, which we carefully remove, drive through, and hang back. We wave our hand to the border guards and move on. We received this recommendation from experienced people. In the opposite direction it works exactly the same way through the same chain. The main thing is to do everything confidently and not ask anyone anything. If they ask for a permit, show it.
Since we still have three days left, we decide to go to one of the most popular Chilean places - San Pedro de Atacama (along with Patagonia and Easter Island). But more on this in the second part of the report. More photos in
Although volcanoes pose a potential threat to human life, it is still impossible not to agree that they are one of the most fascinating sights in the world. The natural elements have not been fully studied to date; there are blank spots in this area of human knowledge. Be that as it may, everything unusual and to some extent dangerous attracts enthusiasts, so many climbers dream of conquering the highest volcano in the world with a height of 6891 m.
This wonder of the world is located on the border of Chile and Argentina and is called Ojos del Salado, which translated from Spanish means “salty eyes”. Although the mountain is located on the territory of two states, the highest point is still on the Chilean side. The tallest volcano in the world was considered inactive for a long time; at least, there was no recorded case of its eruption in the history of mankind. Scientists have suggested that the last time lava flowed out was around the 7th century AD, but there is no exact confirmation of this fact.
Researchers started thinking about reclassifying it from inactive to active after Ojos del Salado released sulfur into the air in 1993. No further incidents followed, but this fact showed that the tallest volcano in the world is not inactive and can wake up from its prolonged hibernation at any moment. The opinions of geologists on this matter are divided and there are still fierce debates on the question of what status to give to the Chilean giant. If it is recognized as active, then when asked which volcano is the highest among the active ones, it will be necessary to name this miracle of nature, although now this title belongs to Llullaillaco.
Several more records are associated with this South American peak. Besides the fact that Ojos del Salado is the highest volcano in the world, it is also considered the highest volcano in Chile. It also takes an honorable second place after the peak of Aconcagua in the entire Western Hemisphere and the South American mainland in particular. The volcano itself is located on the hottest desert in the world - Atacama, and at its top there is the highest lake on the planet. The first time Ojos del Salado was conquered was in 1937 by Polish climbers, who also found out that in ancient times the peak was considered sacred. Another record that mentions a volcano involves climbing the mountain in a special car. This event was recorded in the Guinness Book of Records.
Another famous peak and dream of climbers is the highest volcano in Europe - Elbrus. Its height is 5642 m, it is located on the border of Karachay-Cherkessia and Kabardino-Balkaria. Elbrus is classified as a dormant volcano; its last eruptions were approximately 2.5 thousand years ago. Today, there is a lot of activity inside it. A smell can be heard through the cracks and the springs on it heat up to 60°C, and they are also saturated with mineral salts. It is this water that is used for medicinal purposes by the resorts of Kislovodsk and Pyatigorsk. Elbrus itself is a separate tourist and natural area, striking in the beauty of its landscapes and attracting numerous climbers and simply mountain lovers.
